Chapter 63: The Wager!

Chen Donghai nodded.

But he was cautious by nature, and completely switching over to making bags was out of the question.

Just then, the door was suddenly pushed open with a loud bang.

“Dad!”

It was Chen Qiming.

He had just returned from tutoring.

Chen Donghai turned to see Chen Qiming carelessly kicking off his shoes and tossing them onto the floor, one here and one there, messy and sloppy.

His eyelid twitched instantly.

“I’m starving!”

Chen Qiming barged in angrily and turned to yell, “Auntie Liu! What’s going on? You know I get out of class at this time, so why isn’t the food ready? Are you trying to starve me to death?!”

Chen Donghai’s face turned livid.

“Auntie Liu took the day off! I told you this morning to eat out! What is wrong with your brain?”

Chen Donghai did not hold back, scolding him immediately.

Chen Qiming was terrified of him, so he immediately shrank back and fell silent.

Zhao Lanzhi hurried down the stairs just then. Seeing Chen Qiming, she called him her darling baby and rushed to the kitchen to bring out a bowl of sea cucumber noodles. Placing it in front of him, she said, “Eat up! This is good stuff, very nourishing! You study so hard, you deserve a bowl of sea cucumber noodles. Next time, get first place in your exams to show your dad!”

Zhao Lanzhi glared at Chen Donghai.

Chen Donghai felt a chill run through his heart.

He could not help but wonder: could he really hand over the family fortune to Chen Qiming?

With this kind of brain and behavior, even if he did graduate from university, would he actually be able to help the Chen Family?

Chen Donghai took a deep breath. He turned his head, glanced at the bag sitting on the table, and an idea popped into his mind.

“Chen Qiming, if you want me to hand the Chen Family over to you, just getting into university won’t be enough.”

He pointed at the bag on the table as he spoke. “You have to prove to me that you have a talent for business. Otherwise, I’d rather sell the Chen Family Garment Factory than give it to you!”

Chen Qiming’s eyes went wide.

He practically jumped to his feet, looking at Chen Donghai anxiously. “Dad! How do you want me to prove it? I’m your son! If you can do business, of course I can too! How could I not have talent?! I’ll definitely succeed!”

Chen Donghai did not waste words on him.

He picked up the bag, handed it to Chen Qiming, and continued.

“This is a shoulder bag. Now, I want you to find a way to sell these bags over the next two months. Whether to your classmates or to random people on the street, as long as you can sell three hundred of them, I will consider naming you the heir to Donghai Garment Factory.”

As soon as Chen Donghai finished speaking, Chen Qiming was so excited he almost jumped for joy!

It was actually that simple!

Three hundred bags!

Hudong County was a large county with many government offices and institutions of all sizes. Anyone who held a public office and earned a state-subsidized salary was bound to have plenty of spare money in their pockets.

Selling a bag to their wives or daughters would be an absolute piece of cake!

He was determined to claim the position of heir!

*

At two in the afternoon, in Shishui Village.

After the massive crowd of villagers finished delivering the river snails, Xie Tian slumped over the table, her small hands twitching from exhaustion.

Keeping the books was truly no easy task!

“My second brother is still the best! He keeps track of so many accounts without making a single mistake! He’s amazing!”

She praised him sincerely.

Just as she finished speaking, a laugh echoed from outside. “I haven’t even stepped into the yard and I already hear someone praising me! No wonder I was sneezing the whole way back!”

Xie Zhao drove the mule into the yard.

Xie Tian’s eyes lit up, and she immediately ran out to greet him with a smile.

“Second Brother!”

She called out sweetly, but her eyes were already fixed on the mule cart.

“What’s this?”

She poked her head over to look, and her eyes instantly widened!

“Books! Second Brother, did you buy books?”

She picked one up. The one on top was 《How the Steel Was Tempered》, a book she had been longing to read for a very long time!

She carefully flipped it open. Although there were still many characters she did not recognize, it did not stop her from trying to read it word by word.

Xie Zhao chuckled. “That one isn’t for you. The four underneath are! Read it only after you know all the words!”

Xie Tian tilted her face up. “Hmph, I already know plenty of words! I’ll borrow a dictionary from Goudan! I’ll look them up and read it anyway!”

“That was bought for your second sister-in-law. Are you going to snatch it from her too?”

Xie Zhao said helplessly, “Study first. Once you know all the words, I’ll give it to you! It’s not going to run away!”

“Oh! So it’s for Second Sister-in-law. You should have said so earlier!”

The little girl covered her mouth, winked at Xie Zhao, and immediately ran into the house clutching the book. “I’ll go give it to Second Sister-in-law!”

Inside the house, Lin Muyu was eating an extra meal.

Now that the family’s financial situation had improved, Xie Zhao had insisted on her eating extra meals.

In his words, she had to eat six meals a day, not just for herself, but for the two babies too!

But the chicken was simply too large.

She was halfway through and feeling stuffed, taking a break, when Xie Tian ran in.

“Second Sister-in-law! A present from my brother! Look!”

A present?

Lin Muyu looked closely and saw that they were books!

Her eyes instantly lit up with joy.

“Let me see!”

She reached out, and Xie Tian handed it to her. Turning around, she saw that Xie Zhao had already followed her inside.

He said helplessly, “I bought you books and stationery. They’re all outside. Go see if anything is missing, or you’ll be crying to me when you run out of things at school.”

Xie Tian’s eyes went wide.

What?

Stationery?

For her to take to school?

She let out a sudden gasp of excitement and immediately spun around to dash outside.

“Second Brother is the best in the whole world!”

Her voice drifted away.

Only Xie Zhao and Lin Muyu were left in the room.

After spending the past few days together, the distance between them had finally closed quite a bit.

Xie Zhao sat down beside Lin Muyu and immediately looked at Xi Bao’er and Le Bao’er, who were sleeping on the innermost side of the bed.

“They really can sleep! Why are they sleeping every time I come in?”

He lovingly poked Le Bao’er’s chubby little cheek. Wow, so soft!

“Newborns just love to sleep. Mom said it’s perfectly normal. Some babies don’t even want to wake up to nurse.”

Lin Muyu spoke softly. Seeing how delighted Xie Zhao looked, she couldn’t help but smile, her expression softening.

“I know.”

Xie Zhao lowered his voice, afraid of waking the two babies.

“Why did you suddenly buy me books?”

Lin Muyu asked, slightly puzzled.

“To keep you from getting bored, of course!”

Xie Zhao said, “You still have half a month left of confinement. You can’t stay cooped up in this room every day, or you’ll go stir-crazy.”

“I bought one first for you to read at your own pace. Once you’re done, I’ll buy you another. When your confinement is over, I’ll take you to the county seat, and we’ll go together!”

Together?

Lin Muyu paused.

She gave a soft, barely perceptible nod, a secret joy bubbling up in her heart because of those two words.

“Oh, right!”

Xie Zhao suddenly remembered something. He stood up abruptly, reached under the pillow on his side of the bed, and let out a slightly smug grin.

“Wife! Hold out your hand!”